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Bribe Marketplace

Bribe Economics

How protocols pay veAERO holders to redirect emissions - and why the Hidden Hand integration makes Aerodrome's bribe market one of the most efficient in DeFi.

How the Bribe -> Emission -> Fee Flywheel Works

1
Protocol deposits bribe - DAI/USDC into Aerodrome gauge via Hidden Hand
->
2
veAERO holders vote - directing weekly AERO emissions to the bribed gauge
->
3
LP rewards attract TVL - emissions boost effective pool yield
->
4
Deeper pools = more volume - protocols get execution + voters earn fees

Bribe ROI Calculator

Set up a hypothetical protocol campaign. See how much TVL you can attract per dollar of bribe spend.

Emissions Value Redirected
$200,000
per epoch (weekly)
Bribe ROI
20
Your Bribe Cut
$1,000
Effective Emission Rate
4%
Payback Period
<1 week
Bribe cost Value of redirected emissions (your cut) Net value generated

Hidden Hand

Premium marketplace for Aerodrome bribes. Aggregates all active gauge incentives, provides voter analytics, and optimizes settlement for gas-efficient claiming.

Unified marketplace across all Aerodrome gauges
Historical bribe ROI data per pool
Batched claiming to save gas
? Battle-tested on Curve and Balancer

Votium

Alternative bribe aggregator integrated with Aerodrome. Uses a merkle-based claim system allowing for retroactive, off-chain calculated distributions.

Off-chain proof calculation - lower onchain costs
Votium NFT positions tradable
Multi-week and retroactive bribes supported
Incentives for Convex Finance helpers

The Aerodrome Flywheel - Why Everyone Benefits

The combination of trading fees + emissions + bribes creates positive carry for LPs in bribed pools. This attracts TVL, deepens liquidity, drives volume, and repeats.

Trading Fees
0.05-0.30% per swap, 100% to veAERO voters who voted for the pool
AERO Emissions
Redirected by voter votes - protocols can double-incentivize via bribes
?
Bribes
External protocol payments to redirect votes - direct ROI for veAERO holders
LP Attraction
High effective yield (fees + emissions) draws capital, deepening pools
More Volume
Deep pools attract MEV, arb bots, protocols - more fees for voters
Protocol Adoption
Better execution attracts protocols -> more bribe demand -> higher AERO value

Bribe-per-Vote Breakdown

The core math: total bribe divided by total votes received = cost per veAERO. Compare this to the value of emissions you're redirecting.

Total Bribe Deposited
$50,000
Total Votes Received
500,000 veAERO
=
Cost per veAERO
$0.10 / 1,000 veAERO
If 1,000 veAERO earns $50/week in redirected emissions, the bribe ROI for that voter is 500 - extremely attractive for vote holders.

25% Aerodrome Protocol Bribe Fee

Total Bribe
$10,000
->
To Voters (75%)
$7,500
To Aerodrome (25%)
$2,500

This fee makes Aerodrome's bribe marketplace a revenue-generating protocol feature, not just a governance sideshow. As bribe volume grows, this becomes significant protocol revenue.